1833 Factory Act - The National Archives 1833 Factory Act Dean Mills – The Doubling Room, 1851 (ZPER 34/19) In 1833 the Government passed a Factory Act to improve conditions for children working in factories. Young children were working very long hours in workplaces where conditions were often terrible. The basic act was as follows: no child workers under nine years of age employers must have an age certificate for their child workers children of 9-13 years to work no more than nine hours a day children of 13-18 years to work no more than 12 hours a day children are not to work at night two hours schooling each day for children four factory inspectors appointed to enforce the law However, the passing of this act did not mean that the mistreatment of children stopped overnight. Using these sources, investigate how the far the act had solved the problems of child labour. Tasks 1. This is an extract from a Factory Inspectors Report (1836). Who gave the evidence to the factory inspector?

Work out how many hours (not including breaks), the boys are reported to have worked without stopping Which parts of the new Factory Act have been broken? What does the tone of the letter tell us about what the factory inspectors thought about the firm Taylor, Ibbotson & Co? Having studied this source, would you be right to conclude that the 1833 Factory Act did nothing to solve the problems of child workers? Explain your answer 2. This is a piece of a document detailing which companies broke the law. What is the most common offence recorded? Work out how much is fined for the different offences By looking at the fines, which offence is regarded as the most serious? How effective was the 1833 Factory Act? Explain your answer. (Hint: is the number of convictions a good or bad sign?) 3. This is a photograph of workers in a factory in 1903. What kind of factory is the boy working in? How old do you think he is? Write a list of all the dangers you can see in the factory and what you think could be done to improve them This photograph is from 1903, 70 years after the first Factory Act.

Explain whether you think work in the factory had improved for child workers by this time Is the illustration at the top of this page and this photograph reliable evidence of working conditions in a factory? Give reasons for your answer Source 3 4. You are one of the four factory inspectors in 1836 trying to enforce the Factory Act. You have seen the evidence of abuse of the the law and you are unhappy with the present system. Write a letter to the Home Secretary suggesting ways to improve the law and better methods of enforcing it. Background As the Industrial Revolution gathered pace thousands of factories sprang up all over the country. There were no laws relating to the running of factories as there had been no need for them before. As a result, dangerous machinery was used that could, and frequently did, cause serious injuries to workers. To add to these dangers, people were required to work incredibly long hours – often through the night. Perhaps one of the worst features of this new industrial age was the use of child labour. Very young children worked extremely long hours and could be severely punished for any mistakes. Arriving late for work could lead to a large fine and possibly a beating. Dozing at a machine could result in the accidental loss of a limb.

People began to realise how bad these conditions were in many factories and started to campaign for improvements. There was a lot of resistance from factory owners who felt it would slow down the running of their factories and make their products more expensive. Many people also did not like the government interfering in their lives. Some parents, for instance, needed their children to go out to work from a young age, as they needed the money to help feed the family. Not all factory owners kept their workers in bad conditions however. Robert Owen, who owned a cotton mill in Lanark, Scotland, built the village of New Lanark for his workers. Here they had access to schools, doctors and there was a house for each family who worked in his mills. By 1833, the Government passed what was to be the first of many acts dealing with working conditions and hours. At first, there was limited power to enforce these acts but as the century progressed the rules were enforced more strictly. Nonetheless, the hours and working conditions were still very tough by today’s standards, and no rules were in place to protect adult male workers. Listed below are details of the legislation (laws) that was introduced to improve working conditions in factories.

Date Minimum age raised to 12 years Teachers' notes This lesson provides pupils with the opportunity to arrive at a conclusion based upon evidence. Pupils could also be encouraged to look at the evidence with a critical approach. The extension questions below could be used. How reliable is this evidence regarding the success of the 1833 Factory Act? What other evidence would you like see to help you make a decision? Suggested activities: Design a poster to campaign against, or for, child labour in the factories. Have a class debate on child labour with half of the class arguing for child labour. Sources Source 1: Extract from a Factory Inspectors report – British Parliamentary Papers (1836) No 353 Source 2: Reports of Inspectors of Factories 1863 (No 3390) Source 3: COPY 1/501 The 1833 Factory Act - UK Parliament The 1833 Factory Act Coal mines The 1833 Factory Act By the 1830s, the determination within Parliament to regulate factory conditions had strengthened.

To a large extent it was driven by the battle for political reform (which resulted in the famous 1832 Reform Act), and by the anti-slavery campaign. Campaigners did not hesitate to compare the treatment of mill-workers, including children, with that of slaves. 'Ten-Hour Movement' Even mill-owners were beginning to speak up for improved conditions. A strong humanitarian campaign had grown outside Parliament, championed by the MPs Anthony Ashley-Cooper (later the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury) and Michael Sadler, and by manufacturers in the textile areas of Lancashire and Yorkshire. Ashley-Cooper led the 'Ten-Hour Movement' aiming to reduce the working day for children under 16. Another Factory Act was passed in 1831, limiting the working day to 12 hours for all those under 18. Yet again, there were no procedures for enforcement. Further parliamentary inquiry and a Royal Commission produced reports full of details of the appalling abuse and mistreatment of children in factories. In 1833 Parliament passed a new Factory Act.

Previous Acts had been restricted to the cotton industry, but the 1833 Act also applied to the older woollen producing communities in and around Yorkshire which had been ignored in previous legislation. No children were to work in factories under the age of nine (though by this stage numbers were few). A maximum working week of 48 hours was set for those aged 9 to 13, limited to eight hours a day; and for children between 13 and 18 it was limited to 12 hours daily. The Act also required children under 13 to receive elementary schooling for two hours each day. Factory Inspectors What made the 1833 Act so important was that it established a system to ensure that regulations were enforced. A small, four-man 'inspectorate of factories' was created, responsible to the Home Office, with powers to impose penalties for infringements. In its early days the inspectorate was far too small to enforce the Act in 4,000 mills, and so the Act was widely evaded. It did, however, create the beginnings of a much-needed system of government control.

Related information Child labor in Factories During the Industrial Revolution Introduction | Wages and Hours | Treatment | Movements to Regulate Child labor | Conclusion | Bibliography When the industrial revolution first came to Britain and the U.S., there was a high demand for labor. Families quickly migrated from the rural farm areas to the newly industrialized cities to find work. Once they got there, things did not look as bright as they did. To survive in even the lowest level of poverty, families had to have every able member of the family go to work. This led to the high rise in child labor in factories. Children were not treated well, overworked, and underpaid for a long time before anyone tried to change things for them. Wages and Hours: Children as young as six years old during the industrial revolution worked hard hours for little or no pay. Children sometimes worked up to 19 hours a day, with a one-hour total break. This was a little bit on the extreme, but it was not common for children who worked in factories to work 12-14 hours with the same minimal breaks. Not only were these children subject to long hours, but also, they were in horrible conditions.

Large, heavy, and dangerous equipment was very common for children to be using or working near. Many accidents occurred injuring or killing children on the job. Not until the Factory Act of 1833 did things improve. Children were paid only a fraction of what an adult would get, and sometimes factory owners would get away with paying them nothing. Orphans were the ones subject to this slave-like labor. The factory owners justified their absence of payroll by saying that they gave the orphans food, shelter, and clothing, all of which were far below par. The children who did get paid were paid very little. One boy explained this payment system: "They [boys of eight years] used to get 3d [d is the abbreviation for pence] or 4d a day. Now a man's wages is divided into eight eighths; at eleven, two eighths; at thirteen, three eighths; at fifteen, four eighths; at twenty, a man's wages� About 15s [shillings]." Treatment: The treatment of children in factories was often cruel and unusual, and the children's safety was generally neglected.

The youngest children, who were not old enough to work the machines, were commonly sent to be assistants to textile workers. The people who the children served would beat them, verbally abuse them, and take no consideration for their safety. Both boys and girls who worked in factories were subject to beatings and other harsh forms of pain infliction. One common punishment for being late or not working up to quota would be to be "weighted." An overseer would tie a heavy weight to worker's neck, and have them walk up and down the factory aisles so the other children could see them and "take example." This could last up to an hour. Weighting could lead to serious injuries in the back and/or neck. Punishments such as this would often be dispensed under stringent rules. Boys were sometimes dragged naked from their beds and sent to the factories only holding their clothes, to be put on there. This was to make sure the boys would not be late, even by a few minutes. Child labor: Movements to Regulate There were people in this time period that strongly advocated the use or the abolishment of child labor, or at least the improvement of conditions.

Factory owners loved child labor, and they supported their reasoning with ideas that it was good for everything from the economy to the building of the children's characters. Parents of the children who worked were almost forced to at least approve of it because they needed the income. There were, however, some important figures that fought for the regulation, improvement, and/or abolishment of child labor. The first step to improving conditions was in 1833 with the Factory Act passed by Parliament. This limited the amount of hours children of certain ages could work. Specifically, children 9 to 13 years of age were only allowed to work 8 hours a day. Those 14 to 18 years of age could not work more than 12 hours a day. Children under 9 were not allowed to work at all. Also, the children were to attend school for no less than two hours during the day. Perhaps the most important part of this act was the part that said the government would appoint officials to make sure the act was carried out and complied with. Later, in the early 20th century, activists went even further to protect children's rights in labor. Among these figures was Jane Addams, founder of the Hull House.

Activists in the U.S. made the government set up the Children's Bureau in 1912. This made it the U.S. government's responsibility to monitor child labor. In the time of the Industrial Revolution, the children of the families who moved to the crowded cities had their work situation go from bad to worse. In rural areas, children would have worked long hours with hard work for their families farms, but in the cities, the children worked longer hours with harder work for large companies. Harsher treatment, fewer rewards and more sickness and injury came from poorly regulated child labor. Child labor today is still apart of many economies. 59,600 of the workers in the U.S. are under 14 and many other countries have huge child labor troubles. Child labor came from the Industrial Revolution and is still around today. 1. "The Industrial Revolution, 1700-1900." DISCovering World History. 1997 Student Resource Center. Framington Hills, Mich.: Gale Group. Online Database.

November 8, 2001 Key dates in Working Conditions, Factory Acts Great Britain 1300 - 1899 Key dates in Working Conditions, Factory Acts Great Britain 1300 - 1899 1349 Statute of Labourers bound a labourer to serve under anyone requiring him, and to do so for wages current two years before the plague; controlled labourersï¿½ movements; and fixed prices of food, etc.; administered by the local justices of peace. 1726 Better Regulation of the Woolen Manufacture Act declared that all disputes and demands relating to work and wages between manufacturers and weavers or other persons employed shall be heard and determined by two or more justices of the peace, and that any person aggrieved by their decision may appeal to the next General Quarter session. 1788 Act for the Better Regulation of Chimney Sweepers and their Apprentices, intended to alleviate ï¿½the misery of the said boysï¿½. Apprentices had to be at least 8 years old; each sweeper was limited to six apprentices; and, justices of the peace were to decide complaints.

The intentions of the act were largely ignored due to lack of any means of enforcement. 1802 Health and Morals of Apprentices Act limited the work of children in textile mills to 12 hours per day; prohibited night work; required minimum standards of accommodation; some elementary education to be provided; factories to be periodically lime washed; and infectious diseases attended to and reported. The act attempted to enforce on all employers the conditions provided by the more humane mill-owners. Enforcement was in the hands of the local justices of peace who varied in the rigour with which they carried out these duties. 1819 Cotton Mills and Factories Act prohibited children under the age of nine years from working in cotton mills, and restricted those over the age of nine to a 12 hour day. Enforcement was in the hands of local magistrates. The act owed much to the efforts of Robert Owen.

1825 Cotton Mills and Factories Act limited the hours of work of children under the age of 16 years to 12 per day between 5.0 am and 8 pm with ï¿½ hour off for breakfast and 1 hour off for lunch; and forbade any justice of the peace who was a proprietor or master of a mill or factory to act as a magistrate in matters connected with this act. 1831 An Act prohibited in certain trades the payment of wages in goods, tokens or otherwise than in the current coin of the realm, became known as the Truck Act. Cotton Factories and Mills Act limited the working day of people under the age of 18 years to 12 hours per day, and not more than 9 hours on a Saturday. 1832 Report of the Select Committee on the Bill for the Regulation of Factories (chairman, Sir Michael Sadler) described appalling conditions, excessive hours of work and cruelty to children in factories. 1833 Mills and Factories Act (Althorpï¿½s Act) repeated and extended the act of 1831.

Younger children were to attend school for at least two hours on six days a week, and holidays for the children and young persons to be all day on Christmas Day and Good Friday, and eight half days. The Act gave powers for the appointment of inspectors, because provisions of previous acts ï¿½were not duly carried into execution , and the Laws for the Regulation of the Labour of Children in Factories have been evadedï¿½. The inspectors were empowered to enter any factory at any time and to examine therein the children and other young persons and to enquire about their condition, employment and education. Children under the age of 13 years had to be certified by a physician or surgeon as being ï¿½of the ordinary strength and appearanceï¿½ of a child of his/her stated age. 1834 Chimney Sweeps Act forbade the apprenticing of any boy under the age of 10 years, and the employment of children under 14 in chimney sweeping unless they were apprenticed or on trial. The apprentices were not to be ï¿½evil treatedï¿½ by their employers, and any complaints of the children were to be heard by justices of the peace.

The act was largely ineffective as there were no means of enforcement. 1840 Chimney Sweeps Act prohibited any child under the age of 16 years being apprenticed, and any person under 21 being compelled or knowingly allowed to ascend or descend a chimney or flue for sweeping, cleaning or coring. 1842 Mines and Collieries Act was introduced after a Royal Commission had revealed the terrible conditions in which women and children worked underground. It prohibited the employment underground of women and children under ten in mines and collieries, and provided for the appointment of inspectors of mines. 1844 Labour in Factories Act amended the regulations concerning factory inspectors and certifying surgeons; for the first time machinery was required to be guarded; the age at which children may be employed was reduced from nine to eight years; and the maximum hours of work for children and women was prescribed. 1847 Hours of Labour of Young Persons and Females in Factories Act, the Ten Hours Act, reduced the permitted maximum hours of work for women and children to 10 hours per day and 58 hours in any one week.

1850 Factories Act amended the act of 1847 by stating the times between which young people and women could be employed in factories; and increased the total hours which could be worked by them to 60 per week. Coal Mines Inspection Act introduced the appointment of inspectors of coal mines and set out their powers and duties. 1862 John Simon in his fourth annual report to the Privy Council drew attention to the ill effects of much factory work and concluded that "to be able to redress that wrong is perhaps among the greatest opportunities for good which human institutions can afford". 1864 Factory Acts (Extension) Act incorporated previous factory acts and extended their coverage of industries. Chimney Sweeps (Regulation) Act amended the 1840 act and permitted chimney sweeps to employ children under 10 years on their own premises. 1867 Factory Acts Extension Act brought all factories employing more than 50 people under the terms of all existing factory acts; forbade the employment of children, young people and women on Sundays; and amended some regulations of previous acts.

Workshop Regulation Act widened the definition of workshop; prohibited the employment of children under the age of 8 years in any handicraft; and made other regulations. Agricultural Gangs Act prohibited the employment of children under the age of 8 in public agricultural gangs; prohibited gangs of mixed sex; and required all gangmasters to be licensed by the local magistrates. 1868 First report of the Royal Commission on the Employment of Children, Young Persons and Women in Agriculture published. 1871 Factory and Workshop Act transferred some duties regarding inspections from the local authorities to the factory inspectors, and modified some other provisions. Criminal Law Amendment Act made illegal intimidation, violence, obstruction and picketing against an employer or other employees. Bank Holidays Act laid down that Easter Monday, Whit Monday, the first Monday in August and 26th of December (if a weekday) should be official holidays. 1872 Metalliferous Mines Regulation Act prohibited the employment in the mines of all girls, women and boys under the age of 12 years; introduced powers to appoint inspectors of mines; and set out rules regarding ventilation, blasting and machinery.

1873 Agricultural Childrenï¿½s Act stated that children between the ages of 8 and 10 years could be employed in agriculture only if the parent signed a certificate stating that the child had completed 250 school attendances, and if the child was over ten 150 attendances in the preceding 12 months. The act lacked any means of enforcement. 1874 Factory Act raised the minimum working age to nine; limited the working day for women and young people to 10 hours in the textile industry, to be between 6 am and 6 pm; and reduced the working week to 56ï¿½ hours. Alkali Act (1863) Amendment Act set a volumetric standard of permitted pollution from hydrochloric acid; and extended inspections. 1875 Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act amended the law in regard to conspiracy in trade disputes; made peaceful picketing lawful; and stated that anything that could be legally done by an individual could be legally done by a union. Employers and Workmen Act enlarged the powers of the county courts in respect of disputes between employers and their workmen, and gave the courts limited civil jurisdiction in respect of such disputes.

Chimney Sweepers Act required chimney sweepers to be authorised by the police to carry on their businesses in the district, and so provided some means of enforcement of previous acts. 1878 Factories and Workshops Act consolidated and extended factory provisions to workshops; banned children from work involving white lead; and, set up a central inspectorate. Phillipa Flowerday appointed as nurse to the J & J Colman (Norwich) to work among the factory people, and to visit them at home when they were ill. She is believed to be the first trained nurse to be appointed to work as a nurse within an industrial organisation. 1880 Employers Liability Act extended the law regarding injuries to employees. 1881 Alkali, Etc. Works Regulation Act consolidated and extended the provisions of the 1863 and 1874 acts. 1883 Factory and Workshop Act set standards for all white lead factories. 1886 Shop Hours Regulation Act attempted to regulate the hours of work of children and young persons in shops; the hours of work were not to exceed 74 per week, including meal times.

1891 Factory and Workshop Act consolidated and extended safety and sanitary regulations; transferred enforcement in regard to some workshops from the factory inspectors to the local authorities; raised the minimum age for employment in factories to 11 years; prohibited the owner of a factory from knowingly employing a woman within four weeks of giving birth; and introduced some measures to control conditions of ï¿½outworkersï¿½. 1892 Shop Hours Act repeated and strengthened the requirements of the 1886 act about the employment of young persons in shops; and placed the responsibility for inspection on the councils of the counties and county boroughs. 1893 Women factory inspectors introduced. 1895 Factory and Workshop Act amended and extended previous acts regarding sanitary provisions, safety, employment of children, holidays and accidents; and made certain industrial diseases (lead, phosphorus, arsenic and anthrax) notifiable for the first time. 1897 Workmenï¿½s Compensation Act established the principle that persons injured at work should be compensated.1898 Thomas M Legge (later Sir, 1863-1932), appointed as the first medical inspector of factories.

Victorian Legislation: a Timeline Victorian Legislation: a Timeline [ Victorian Web Home —> Political History —> Social History —> Religion —> Science —> Economics ] 1828 Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts . This removed the political disabilities imposed on non-Anglican Protestants by legislation passed in 1673 and 1661 respectively. Following the repeal of these Acts, Dissenters could sit in parliament and participate in local government. The Act changed the Anglican constitution into a Protestant constitution. 1829 Catholic Emancipation Act . This controversial legislation allowed Catholics to sit as MPs for the first time since the Elizabethan Act of Settlement (1558/9). The Act was passed by Wellington 's government despite huge opposition; the constitution now became Christian but non-denominational. Metropolitan Police Act . This was the culmination of the work of Robert Peel to establish a civilian, unarmed police force. It was the foundation of policing in Great Britain and was based on his work in Ireland. 1831 (Hobhouse) Factory Act.

This was the third Factory Act, its predecessor being the 1801 Health and Morals of Apprentices Act and the 1819 Factory Act. Hobhouse's Act forbade night work for persons under the age of 21. 1832 Reform Act . It took almost two years for this Act to reach the Statute Books and brought Britain to the verge of revolution. The Reform Act was the first systematic change to the constitution; it extended the franchise to include those who did not own landed property and was the first of a series of constitutional changes. 1833 Factory Act. Passed by the Whig government, this Act was an attempt to regulate the working hours of women and children. It left much to be desired but was a step towards government regulation of working conditions. Abolition of Slavery Act. This was the culmination of a lengthy campaign that had begun during the 18th Century. The legislation was finalised by the Jamaica Act of 1839. first Education grant. Although not a piece of legislation, the grant of £20,000 for the provision of schools was the first time that the goverment had involved itself in education in any way.

The first Education Act did not reach the Statute Books until 1870. 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act . Following the 1832 Reform Act , the PLAA was intended to reduce the poor rates; it was not intended to help the poor who suffered as a result of the legislation. The PLAA replaced the existing poor laws and was responsible for the establishment of workhouses throughout the country. The poor were treated as criminals and people starved rather than apply for poor relief because that meant that they would become inmates of the dreaded "poor law bastilles". 1835 The Municipal Corporations Act was a local government version of the 1832 Reform Act. It made existing municipal corporations more answerable to the electors and allowed other towns to apply for incorporation. 1836 Civil Marriages Act: after the passing of this law, non-Anglicans were able to marry either in their own Church or in Registry Offices. The Church of England lost its monopoly over marriage services Tithe Commutation Act: this provided for the payment of tithes to the Church of England in cash, depending on the price of wheat. reduction of Stamp Duty.

The Government's decision to reduce the stamp duty was primarily due to the success of the "war of the unstamped", and in 1836 the duty was reduced from 4d to 1d, in order to take the unstamped newspapers off the streets while allowing legal newspapers wider circulation. 1837 Registration Act (of Births, Marriages and Deaths). Although the 1833 Factory Act restricted working hours for young people, there was no means of telling the age of a person since no official records existed. Anglican churches had to record baptisms, marriages, and burials but there were few records for non-Anglicans. This legislation made it compulsory for all births, marriages and deaths to be registered at a Registry Office; certificates were issued for each event and a second copy was retained at Somerset House in London. The administration of this Act was within the remit of the Poor Law Commission. 1838 Irish Poor Law Amendment Act. After a Commission reported that the 'importation' of the English 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act was inappropriate for Ireland, the government brought in its own "experts" and the 1834 PLAA was passed for Ireland.

It was implemented just before the outbreak of the potato blight and proved to be inadequate to meet the crisis. 1839 The Jamaica Act finalised the 1833 Abolition of Slavery Act, setting the remaining slaves and apprentices free in the British colonies. The Rural Constabularies Act extended the 1829 Metropolitan Police Act and required counties to establish their own police forces. The Act was passed in the face of Chartist activity. 1840 Penny Post . This was the idea of Sir Rowland Hill . Prior to this, recipients paid for any letters that were sent to them. Hereafter, the sender attached an adhesive, pre-paid label to any items that were posted. The most famous 'stamp' of this period is the Penny Black . 1842 Railway Act. This first piece of railway legislation was mainly a safety Act to ensure that railways ran safe services. New lines had to be inspected by the Board of Trade, which could demand traffic returns and inquire into accidents. The Mines Act prohibited the employment of all females and boys under 10 years old from working underground in mines.

1844 The Railway Act ("Parliamentary Train Act") followed Gladstone 's Committee of inquiry into railway policy. By this law, the government assumed the absolute right to take control of all railways in times of national emergency and to fix fares and freight charges. It also said that railway companies had to provide a minimum service of one train each day each way, travelling at not less than 12 miles per hour and stopping at every passenger station, charging no more than 1d. per mile for third class passengers. Bank Charter Act . This Act tied the issue of bank notes to the Bank's gold reserves and required it to keep the accounts of the note issue separate from those of its banking operations. The Bank of England ( image ) had to produce a weekly summary of both accounts. This Factory Act legislated only for textile factories and was the successor to the 1833 Factory Act. It said that women and young persons (13-18) were to work no more than 12 hours per day; children under 13 were to work no more than 6½ hours per day and no child under 8 was to be employed.

The Companies Act aimed to prevent 'reckless speculation' and to prevent the establishment of dubious compaines by making it compulsory for all companies to be registered officially. The companies also had to issue prospectuses and publish accounts regularly. 1846 Repeal of the Corn Laws . The Corn Laws had been passed in 1815 and had raised the price of wheat artificially, leading to an economic depression. A concerted campaign for the repeal of the Corn Laws had been going on since 1838. Consequent upon the repeal, the career of Sir Robert Peel was terminated. Gauges Act. This was another piece of railway legislation that prohibited the extension of the 7' gauge , except on the Great Western Railway and said that a third line of 4' 8½' had to be laid where 7' track met 4' 8½" line. 1847 Factory Act. Yet another piece of compromise legislation by the Whig government, this so-called '10-Hour Act' said that women and children between the ages of 13 and 18 could work a maximum of ten hours a day or 58 hours a week.

The precise times of work were not set down and the 'relay' or shift system survived. Working hours for men were left untouched. Poor Law Act. This Act followed on from the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act and replaced the Poor Law Commission with a Poor Law Board headed by a government Minister. Poor releif became more responsible to parliamentary control. 1848 Public Health Act . This was the first piece of legislation that attempted to deal with issues of public health. However, it was permissive rather than compulsory in towns other than Municipal Corporations . The Act established a central Board of Health and allowed Local Boards of Health to be set up if more than 10% of the population petitioned for one. No central inspection was required for authorities that had Boards of Health outside the legislation. Towns where the death rate exceeded 23 per 1,000 were obliged to set up a Board of Health. 1849 Repeal of the Navigation Acts. These laws had been introduced in the Seventeeth Century and said that goods being imported into Britain and her colonies had to be carried either in British ships or the ships of the country where the goods had origin.

The laws had been modified during the 1820s but finally they were repealed. 1850 Factory Act. The law dealt only with textile factories. Women and young persons (13-18 years old) were to work in factories only between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. or 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. but working hours were raised from 10 to 10½ per day. Coal Mines Inspection Act. The 1842 Mines Act had not dealt with safety in the mines; this legislation attempted to rectify that omission. More inspectors were provided to enforce the 1842 Act and were to produce reports of conditions and safety standards in the mines. The coal mine owners opposed all attempts to regulate conditions in the mines and many of these men sat in the House of Lords; one of the most influential was the Marquis of Londonderrry who owned many of the coal mines in the north east of England, particularly around Durham. 1851 Ecclesiastical Titles Act. In 1850 Pope Pius IX restored the Catholic hierarchy in Britain, giving the Catholic Church a hierarchy like that of all Catholic countries.

The Ecclesiastical Titles Act was an anti-Catholic measure intended to prevent the newly createdCatholic dioceses from taking existing Anglican diocesan names. Ironically, many of the Anglican dioceses had continued to use established Catholic names after the Reformation. The law was repealed by Gladstone in 1871. 1855 Abolition of stamp duties on newspapers. In June the final remaining penny of the British newspaper duty was removed and in September the Daily Telegraph appeared at the price of 1d. For the British working man, the newspaper became what reformers in the 1830s had predicted: 'the readiest, the commonest, the chief vehicle of knowledge'. 1856 County and Borough Police Act. The Metropolitan Police was established in 1829; in 1839 the Rural Constabularies Act was passed. This third piece of legislation obliged the counties to organise police forces, subject to government control and devised a system of inspection already in use in factories, workhouses and education. Grants to the police became dependent on the efficiency of the force: it was estimated that half of them were not efficient.

The Act shifted the emphasis from the prevention of crime to its detection. 1857 Matrimonial Causes Act. By this Act, divorce courts were established. Women were given only limited access to divorce which could be obtained only on a specific cause other than adultery. Right of access to children after divorce was extended and women were able to repossess their property after a legal separation or after a protection order given consequent upon the husband's desertion. 1858 Abolition of the property qualification for MPs: this was one of the demands made by the Chartists . From this date, men did not have to own property in order to stand as candidates in parliamentary elections. Jewish Disabilities Act implemented. In 1847, Baron Lionel de Rothschild was elected as an MP for London but objected to taking the oath which included the phrase "on the true faith of a Christian". He asked to be sworn in on the Old Testament. It took eleven attempts in the House of Lords to have the oath changed. Subsequently, Jews were able to take their seats in both Houses. Medical Act 1859 Molestation of Workmen Act. This Act allowed peaceful picketing in the event of strike action taking place.

The Act said that 'no person, by reason merely of his endeavouring peaceably and in a reasonable manner, and without threat or intimidation, direct or indirect, to persuade others to cease or abstain from work, in order to obtain the rate of wages or the altered hours of labour agreed to by him and others, should be deemed to have been guilty of "molestation" or "obstruction".' 1860 Food and Drugs Act. This was the first attempt at legislation to prevent the adulteration of food. It was common to find harmful additives in staple foods: white lead in flour, ground glass in sugar, red lead in coffee for example. The new law made the inclusion of additives a criminal offence. However, it was not very effective and had to be amended in The Mines Regulation and Inspection Act increased the number of mines inspectors and prohibited boys below the age of 12 from working underground. 1861 Repeal of paper duties . Gladstone helped the publishing industry by abolishing the excise duty on paper. This made producing newsapers cheaper still; it revived rural paper works and encouraged the growth of London newspapers and the provincial press. 1866 Sanitary Act.

Finally, it was recognised that the 1848 Act had failed to produce the desired results: this was due mainly to that Act being permissive rather than compulsory. The 1866 Act compelled local authorities to improve local conditions and remove nuisances (health hazards). They became responsible also for the provision of sewers, water and street cleaning. The Act enforced the connection of all houses to a new main sewer; it set definite limits for the use of cellars as living rooms, and established the definition of 'overcrowding'. Every town was to appoint Sanitary Inspectors and the Home Secretary was empowered to take proceedings for the removal of nuisances where local authorities failed to act. 1867 the second Reform Act . This extended the franchise to most urban working men. Master and Servant Act. This Act amended an existing piece of legislation; strikers could now be prosecuted only for breach of contract. The Trade Unions were still dissatisfied, however, because it was possible for criminal proceedings to take place on the grounds of 'aggravated causes'. 1869 Disestablishment and Disendowment of the Irish Church . This Act came into effect on 1 January 1871.

All ecclesiastical property belonging to the Church of Ireland, except churches in use, was vested in the Commissioners. Compensatoin was set at £16 million: half of the capital of the confiscated property and surplus funds were to be used for the relief of suffering. The Act also said that no Irish bishops were to sit in the House of Lords. Nonconformist ministers were to be given a grant from the Regium Donum (gift of the monarch) The Church of Ireland was to have a General Synod that was elected triennially by the dioceses. 1870 Irish Land Act. This law was passed by Gladstone's government and was intended to protect tenants against unfair eviction. Landlords were required to pay up to £250 to tenants who had been evicted unfairly and tenants were assisted in the purchase of their holdings by being able to borrow up to 2/3 of the cost from the government. Married Women's Property Act. This piece of legislation allowed women to keep £200 of their own earnings. (Forster's) Education Act. This Act was intended only to 'plug the gaps' in the educational provision that existed.

The two religious organisations that ran schools were given grants and the Act provided for the establishment of so-called 'Board Schools'. Education was neither free nor compulsory under this legislation. Cardwell's army reforms begin. Cardwell was the Secretary of State for War; his reforms continued for over ten years. 1871 University Test Act. Until the passing of this Act, all academics and students at Oxford and Cambridge Universities had to be practising members of the Anglican Church. By this legislation, the privileges of the Anglican Church were removed and the universities were open to all with suitable abilities regardless of religious faith. Civil Service reforms. Posts in the Civil Service were dependent upon privilege and connection with the 'right' people until this legislation. Thereafter, positions were open to all who could pass the examinations. The Foreign Office was excluded from the legislation, however, and continued to be the domain of privilege and connection. Trade Union Act recognised unions as legal bodies with the right to own property and funds. Unions were allowed to protect these at law and they were also allowed to conduct strikes. Criminal Law Amendment Act.

This took away the power of strike action: although TUs could conduct strikes under the Trade Union Act, this second piece of legislation forbade the use of picketing of any description) even peaceful picketing). Consequently, it would be almost impossible for a strike to be conducted. Abolition of the purchase of Commissions . This was one of Cardwell's Army Reforms by which officers in the British Army were to be appointed by merit and ability rather than being able to buy rank. The legislation met great opposition. 1872 Licensing Act. Gladstone believed that drink was the curse of the working man and wanted to introduce sobriety as a character-reform. He also believed that a sober, hard-working man would be able to save money and therefore have savings for his 'retirement'. This Act gave magistrates the power to issue licenses to public houses; where it was thought that there were too many of these, magistrates were able to close down some of them public houses now had to close in towns at midnight and at 11 p.m.

in the countryside - so that agricultural labourers could walk home and arrive before midnight the adulteration of beer was made illegal: it was common for salt to be added to it, to make the consumers thirsty and so drink more. 1872 Ballot Act: this was one of the things that the Chartists had demanded. The Act introduced the secret ballot to all elections, making them less corrupt and less subject to bribery and corruption. The legislation was opposed by landlords and employers who could no longer control the votes of their tenants and workers. Coal Mines Regulating Act. This insisted on the introduciton of safety methods such as fan ventilators, stronger timber supports, wire ropes, imporved winding gear and better safety lamps. Public Health Act. This divided England and Wales into Health Authority districts, each of which had to have its own Medical Officer of Health and accompanying staff. The duties of the Health Authorities were not specified and most Health Boards were unwilling to spend the required money on radical reforms. 1873 Judicature Act. This Act rationalised the legal system in Britain by united seven different courts into one High Court of Justice. 1874 Licensing Act.

This was an amendment to Gladstone's Act and provided for longer opening hours. The Factory Act reduced working hours to 10 per day; it also said that no child couild be employed until the age of 10 and no young person could work full time until the age of 14. 1875 Artisans ' Dwelling Act: local authorities were given the power to buy and demolish slum houses and replace them with modern, healthy housing. Because of severe opposition, the powers were permissive rather than compulsory Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act . This again legalised peaceful picketing and allowed unions to cary out as a group whatever individuals could do in law. Unmions could no longer be charged with conspiracy for taking such action . Public Health Act: This legislation was the work of Richard A Cross.

The Act set down in detail what local authorities had to do in terms of public health: ensure that there was an adequate water supply, drainage and sewage disposal nuisances were to be removed offensive trades were to be regulated contaminated food was to be found, confiscated and destroyed cases of infectious diseases were to be reported to the local Medical Officer of Health who then had to take appropriate action further regulations dealt with matters concerning: markets; street lighting; burials Employers and Workmen Act : this put workmen and their employers on the same legal footing in cases of breach of contract: breach of contract was a civil offence. Prior to this legislation, if a workman broke his contract it was deemed to be a criminal offence, whereas if an employer did so it was only a civil offence. 1876 (Sandon's) Education Act. School Attendance Committees were established to encourage as many children as possible to take advantage of educational opportunities and parents were made responsible for ensuring that their children received basic instruction. The Committees could help to pay the school fees if parents were too poor to do so themselves - but this was not compulsory.

Merchant Shipping Act : this was the work of Samuel Plimsoll and was aimed at preventing ship owners sending unseaworthy or overloaded ships to sea, at the expense of the sailors' lives. The Act required a series of 'lines' to be painted on the ship to show the maximum loading point. It was not until 1890 that Board of Trade officials applied the regulations that Plimsoll had intended. 1878 Factory and Workshops Act. All workshops and factories employing more than 50 people were now to be inspected regularly by government inspectors rather than by local authorities (as previously). 1880 Employers' Liability Act aplied to all manual workers except seamen and domestic servants; it gave to injured employees or their dependents the same rights to recover damages from their employers that non-employees always enjoyed 1881 Irish Land Act. This was another piece of legislation passed by Gladstone and it gave to Ireland what Irish tenants had been requesting for many years: the so-called "3 Fs" - fair rents, fixity of tenure and free sale of the tenancy. The Act also provided for the establishment of Land Courts which would decide on what was a 'fair rent'.

Unfortunately, the Land League did everything it could to prevent the Act from working and the evictions and violence in Ireland continued. (Mundella's) Education Act. This made attendance at elementary school compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 10. Parents had to pay 'school pence' - about 3d . per child per week. Often, poor parents could not afford this sum of money. 1882 The Married Women's Property Act allowed all married women to continue as the separate owners and administrators of their property after marriage. 1884 Third Reform Act. This extended the franchise to most adult males. 1885 Redistribution Act. This Act went hand in hand with the Reform Act: all boroughs with fewer than 15,000 inhabitants lost their MP; those with fewer than 50,000 MPs lost one MP. There were now 142 seats available for redistribution and these were given to densely populated areas. Constituencies were reorganised so that there were 647 single member constituencies of the 670 in existence. 1888 County Councils Act. This legislation established County Councils.

The old local government boards (about 27,000 of them) were replaced by 67 elected County Councils which had extensive and compulsory powers to deal with matters such as road maintenance, the building of bridges, the establishment of a police force and the administrative duties that had previously been within the remit of JPs. Some sixty towns with populations over 60,000 became County Boroughs with the same powers as County Councils. Under this legislation, unmarried women were allowed to vote for councillors although they were not allowed to become councillors themselves. 1891 The Fee Grant Act effectively made elementary education free of charge 1894 Local Government Act (often referred to as the Parish Councils Act) . This Act divided the counties into Urban District Councils and Rural District Councils, each with its own elected coucil. Rural District Councils were divided into civil Parish Councils which had to be elected if the population exceeded 300. Generally, the civil parishes had the same boundaries as the ecclesiastical ( Church of England ) parishes. Women were now allowed to stand as candidates and sit as councillors on these councils. 1897 Workmen's Compensation Act.

This law said that an employer should compensate a workman who was injured, and the dependants of a workman who was killed at work, irrespective of any negligence on the part of the employer or his other employees. The Act was restricted to a limited number of employments, the so-called "dangerous trades" that included the building trade. Follow the Yarn 1819 Factory acts try to improve working conditions in cotton factories This Preston cotton mill was owned by Swainson, Birley and Company. It was seven storeys high and had 660 windows. The people working in this mill worked very long hours. Between 1819 and 1853 the government passed laws to help improve working conditions in cotton factories. Factory workers worked long hours, often at night and had few meal breaks. The children working in cotton mills also had little or no education. The Factory Act of 1819 was the first set of laws, which tried to stop young children under nine years old working in the cotton industry. It also attempted to limit the hours older children worked to 12 hours a day. There were no inspectors to enforce the law passed in 1819.

People could easily lie about the age of children working in the mills. Mill owners also argued that parents wanted their children to work. The 1833 Factory Act appointed 4 full-time inspectors to try to enforce the laws. It also forbade nightwork for children under 18 years of age. The government also wanted working children to go to school, at first for 2 hours a day, then 3 hours in 1844. These children became known as 'half-timers'. In 1844 the working day of 8-13 year olds was limited to 6 � day to allow them time to go to school. The 1844 Act also established a 10 � hour day for women and children (aged 13-18). By 1850 the standard working day for all cotton workers was 6am-6pm (2pm on Saturdays) and 1 � hours a day was allowed for meal breaks. Child labour in cotton factories however continued until the half-time system was phased out after 1918.

Later factory legislation - UK Parliament Later factory legislation Coal mines Later factory legislation The 1833 Act was a pioneering piece of legislation, and set the pace for further reform. This did, however, prove a difficult process as many employers found ways to evade the new regulations. Safety legislation In 1844, Parliament passed a further Factories Act which in effect was the first health and safety act in Britain. All dangerous machinery was to be securely fenced off, and failure to do so regarded as a criminal offence. No child or young person was to clean mill machinery while it was in motion. The Act limited the hours worked by children to six and a half, with three hours' schooling, and set a maximum 12-hour day for young people between 13 and 18. The 12-hour rule also applied to women. Anthony Ashley-Cooper continued his campaign for a ten-hour day for women and young people aged between 13 and 18, which finally achieved its objective in the 1847 Factory Act. However, it had to be followed up by further Acts to remove ambiguities regarding definition of the working day that were still being exploited by factory owners and employers.

Factories and Workshops Another significant measure, the Factory Acts (Extension) Act of 1867, took the important step of applying existing legislation to all other factories where 50 or more people were employed. It also brought regulation to other specified industries regardless of numbers employed, namely, blast furnaces, iron and steel mills, glass, paper making, tobacco, printing and bookbinding. The 1867 Act was therefore a further landmark measure in bringing some improvement, for the first time, to the working conditions of labouring people in factories and workshops throughout the country. But since the Act made so many more places of work liable to official inspection, it proved difficult to enforce. In further Factory Acts, in 1878, 1891 and 1895, Parliament placed additional limits on the employment of women and children in factories, and considerably extended earlier safety regulations. The 1891 Act raised the minimum age for employment in factories to 11. Biography Why was legislation to improve factory conditions enacted between 1833 and 1850, and how much change did it bring about? S.

Bamford , Early Days, 1849 In the initial stages of the factory movement the system whereby children worked directly for their parents was transferred from the home to the factory; the factory owners had essentially sub-contracted responsibility for conditions and hours of work, they did not need to accept their responsibility for the well-being, or otherwise, of the children. The fact that the harsh conditions were imposed on the children by the parents made the whole system socially tolerable. [4] Not all of society however found the conditions of work imposed on children tolerable. Richard Oastler, among others, felt that forcing children to work up to 16 hours, day and night, was little more than slavery. [5] Oastler began his campaign by writing a series of letters to the Leeds Mercury and Leeds Intelligencer in 1830 under the heading ' Slavery in Yorkshire ' [6]. Oastler's letters, while being very emotional in style, began to bring to public attention the plight of the 'factory children'.

Thousands of little children… from seven to fourteen years of age, are daily compelled to labour from six o'clock in the morning to seven in the evening, with only � Britons, blush while you read it. � with only thirty minutes allowed for eating and recreation. Poor infants… feel and mourn that ye are slaves. R. Oastler, 'Slavery in Yorkshire', Leeds Mercury, 29/09/1830 . The growing public awareness of children's working conditions, fostered by the likes of Oastler, coincided with the breakdown of the kinship links within the factory. Technical advances, such as Roberts' automatic mule (1824), required the factories to employ more children; with Roberts' mule an adult spinner needed up to nine children working for him instead of the one or two required with the older mules. With the discipline in factories being imposed more and more by the owners, rather than the family, the workers themselves began to protest against the harsh conditions and long hours. [7] This twin thrust of public opinion and worker unrest led to a general movement for a shorter working day.

This ' Ten Hour Movement ' with its 'Short Time Committees' was diverse in its membership, consisting of Socialists, Chartists and Ultra Tories . [8] Oastler, a Tory evangelist, was one of the prominent leaders of the movement outside parliament; Michael Thomas Sadler , a Yorkshire MP, became the movement's parliamentary leader. Sadler introduced a Ten Hour Bill in December 1831, which received its second reading in the House of Commons in 1832. Sadler made a speech on 13 March 1832 supporting the bill in which he stated, Sir, the bill… has, for its purpose, to liberate children and other young persons… from that over exertion and confinement…to rescue them from a state of suffering and degradation…which cannot be much longer tolerated. Hansard, 3/II/342-345 The bill therefore purported to protect children from long hours and harsh conditions. There is evidence though that this was a smoke screen for the real purpose of the Ten Hour Movement.

A resolution passed at a public meeting in Leeds in 1831 included the following; 'That a restrictive act would tend materially to equalise and extend labour, by calling into employment many adult males'. [9] The resolution makes it plain that one of the objectives was to decrease adult working hours and therefore increase adult employment, and that this could be achieved through the limitation of the hours that children could work. The Whig government of the time referred the matter of factory conditions, and legislation to control them, to a Parliamentary Select Committee, chaired by Sadler. The Committee's report, published in August 1832, revealed extremely poor conditions in textile mills [10] and essentially supported Sadler's bill. In December of that year however Sadler lost his seat in parliament, and for a short time the parliamentary movement lost momentum. Lord Ashley was persuaded to take up the Ten Hour mantle in parliament, and he re-introduced the bill in 1833. There was however still great opposition to the bill on a number of political, economic and social grounds [11] and a Royal Commission was appointed to, again, investigate the matter.

Manufacturers were strongly represented on the commission, unlike on Sadler's committee, and this together with the fact that testimony was to be heard in private caused an outcry from the Short Time Committees. In Leeds a meeting of operatives agreed not to cooperate with the commission on the grounds that it was a 'Tribunal adverse to the Ten Hour Bill in origin, adverse in spirit, adverse in object, adverse probably in instruction'. [12] The commission found that some of the evidence given to the Sadler committee had been, to say the least, exaggerated. For example, one Joseph Hebergam had stated to the committee that he had met with frequent accidents at work; to the commission however he stated 'the accidents I meant were hurting my knuckles with the flies. I can't recollect that I ever saw anything worse than that'. [13] The commission did conclude however that hours of work were 'seldom less than eleven and scarcely ever more than twelve; this is the average; for there is considerable irregularity'. [14] They also concluded that there was 'a case…for the interference of the legislature on behalf of the children employed in factories'.

[15] The commission's report formed the basis of a government bill, sponsored by Lord Althorp , which became law in August 1833. The main points of the act were Children under nine could not be employed in textile factories. Children aged nine to thirteen could work a maximum of nine hours per day and 48 hours per week. Young persons aged thirteen to eighteen could work a maximum of 12 hours per day and 69 hours per week. Night work for children and young persons was not permitted. Children were to attend school. Four independent factory inspectors were to be appointed. Within these main points the influence of the Benthamites can be seen. This is not surprising considering that Edwin Chadwick and Southwood Smith , two ardent Bentham ites, were members of the Royal Commission [16]. Their influence can be seen in the provision of the four inspectors and that of compulsory education. While the provision of the inspectors did not originate with Smith and Chadwick, the suggestion came from the manufacturers who gave evidence to the commission, [17] it would have been included as central control and enforcement of legislation was a central tenet of the Benthamite creed.

Compulsory education was also one of Jeremy Bentham's proposals; he had proposed a government department of Education and Health. [18] The provision of government inspectors and another feature of the act was opposed by the Ten Hour Movement. The second feature was the provision that allowed two sets of children working a maximum of eight hours each. They felt that this was merely a device whereby adult workers could be kept working for 16 hours per day. The inspectors were seen as nothing more than the agents of the manufacturers. It will be seen that while they were correct about the working hours, their concern regarding the inspectors was unfounded. The first major problem that the inspectors encountered was to ensure that children under nine were not working in the factories. There was no definite means whereby the ages of the children could be proved, and it was often necessary to get a certificate from a surgeon or physician that stated that a child was 'of the ordinary strength and appearance' of a nine year old. This practice of certification, allowed under Section 13 of the act, was open to abuse through dishonesty and ignorance. The inspector for the Manchester District, Mr.

Rickards, in an attempt to reduce the misapplication of this rule appointed a limited number of surgeons that were authorised to give this certification. This move met with some opposition but it was eventually accepted that he had the authority to implement this system, and the other inspectors in their districts implemented the practice. [19] The fact that all the inspectors implemented the scheme of 'authorised signatories' demonstrates the effectiveness of the inspectors' reporting system. They were required to report individually at least twice a year to the government, and to meet twice a year and make a joint report to the government. Another area where the inspectors had difficulties was the enforcement of children's (9-13) and young persons (14-18) working hours, and as a result the education of the children. Abuses of the 'relay system' allowed under the act meant that not only were both these groups kept within the factory environment in excess of the hours allowed, but also that the children were precluded from attending school. [20] The factory masters operated within the law by dividing the hours of work of the children and young persons so that they had to be present at the factory for the full 15 hours allowed by the act.

(The law stated that these groups could not work before 05:30 hrs or after 20:30 hrs, but did not define actual start and finish times.) Therefore, while the factories were operating within the letter of the law, the spirit of the law was ignored.[21] Mr. Horner , initially the Scottish inspector, recognised that these abuses of the system were occurring and also that he (and the other inspectors) had difficulty in enforcing the law because of them. In his reports of 1841 and 1842 he strongly recommended that a 'half-time' system be introduced and enforced by the law. This system would ensure that the children's hours were completed either in the morning or the afternoon. He also recommended that young persons were not employed in or about the factory for longer than 13½ hours (12 hours work and 1½ hours meal breaks) from their start time. [22] It had been expected that the restriction of children's and young persons working hours would also have been a de facto restriction of factory motive power, and therefore the adult working hours.

That this was a goal of the Short Time Committees is demonstrated in some of their resolutions prior to the 1833 act; [23] it was certainly an expectation of the factory inspectors. [24] It was even admitted that this was the unwritten purpose of the act by Sir James Graham during a speech in the House of Commons in May 1844. [25] The 1833 act had children and young persons as the main focus because it could be easily demonstrated that they were not 'free agents', that is they were unable to look after their own interests. This eased the progress of the legislation because groups, such as the Benthamites, felt that the government had a duty to protect people that were not free agents. The failure of the act to reduce the working hours of the free agents, that is adults, through the protection of non free agents (children and young persons) led to women being included under the mantle of non free agents. [26] In addition to this, the debate began to focus more on female operators as their mode of dress was considered to make them more vulnerable to accidents in the workplace.

[27] As a result of this debate, and the reports of the inspectors, a new act was passed in 1844 to amend the 1833 act. Its main points were, Women were included under the same regulations as young persons Some moving machinery was to be guarded The protected people were prohibited from cleaning moving machinery. The half-time system was introduced for children, reducing their working hours to 6½ per day. Children of eight years could be employed. Working hours were to be calculated from the morning start time. Meal and other breaks were to be taken outside the workroom. The protected persons must take their meal breaks at one time. The hours of work and meals to be regulated by a public clock approved by the inspectors. Other amendments were made which greatly improved the powers of the inspectors to enter and inspect factories and factory schools, to appoint certifying surgeons and to disqualify incompetent teachers. The new act, while now also protecting adult females, had still not achieved the ultimate aim of the Ten Hour Movement that is, a 10-hour working day for all.

The act still stated that protected persons could work between the hours of 05:30 and 20:30, which resulted in the adult male workers still working excessive hours. The Ten Hour Movement continued to agitate for the reduced working day for all. The arguments against the 10-hour working day began to lose strength after 1844 because the general trade depression at that time tended to materially reduce working hours in the factories. It was possible therefore for Fielden to successfully promote a Ten Hour Act in 1847.This stated that women and young persons could work for no longer than 10 hours per day. [28] Again, the expectation was that this would also restrict the working hours of the adult males in the factories. This was not the case as the restricted hours could still be worked at any time in a 15-hour period between 05:00 and 20:00. A relay system was introduced which enabled the employers to lawfully make their adult male workers complete the full 15 hours.

[29] In 1850 Grey 's Act finally defined the 'normal working day' as being between 06:00 and 18:00. This still did not meet with the full approval of the Ten Hour Movement as it meant that adult males still worked 10½ hours per day, but people such as Lord Shaftesbury felt that this compromise was the only way around the problem of the relay system. The purpose of the factory legislation between 1833 and 1850 would therefore appear to be to reduce the number of hours worked in the factories at the time, and to some extent this was successful. The legislation however only applied to the textile factories while other industries for the main part were unregulated and it was still some time before health and safety legislation was universally applied within factories. The 1833 act was probable the pivotal point however in the development of health and safety legislation. Other less obvious goals were also achieved in the legislation in this period. The Benthamites for instance saw this legislation as a vehicle to begin to achieve some of their goals such as compulsory education and central government control.

The education aspect of this legislation suffered for want of a comprehensive Education Act , [30] but the central control in the form of the four government inspectors did prove successful. The inspectors at the time had a great influence in the development of the legislation up to 1850, and beyond. We can still see the their legacy in the Health and Safety Commission and Executive (HSC & HSE) set up under the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974. The discussion about hours of work however still goes on with the current debate focused on the European Working Time Directive; but perhaps the discussion in the 19th century, as now, was not about how long people worked. The issue is not so much balance about time, but sovereignty over time. We don't object to working long hours as long as we choose to work the hours and can control when they are worked. [31] References [1] Grandjean, E., Fitting The Task To The Man (4th Ed.), Tailor and Francis, 1988, pp 200-202. [2] Burnes, B., Managing Change, Pitman, 1996, pg. 7.

[3]Ibid., pp 7-8. [4] Mathias, P., The First Industrial Nation (2nd Ed.), Routledge, 1990, pg.181. [5] Halévy, E., The Triumph of Reform 1830-1841, Ernst Benn Ltd., 1961, pg. 107. [6] Hutchins, B.L. & Harrison, E., A History of Factory Legislation, P.S. King & Son, 1911, p. 45. [7] Mathias, p.182. [8] Hutchins, B.L. & Harrison, E. p. 46. [9] Ibid. 48. [10] Taylor, D., Mastering Economic and Social History, MacMillan, 1988, p. 202. [11] Ibid., p. 203. [12] Hutchins, B.L. & Harrison, E. p. 55. [13] Class Handout No.7. [14] The Peel Web, Parliamentary Papers 1833/XX.

[15] Taylor, p. 204. [17] Hutchins, B.L. & Harrison, E. p. 39. [18] Halévy, p. 101. [19] Hutchins, B.L. & Harrison, E. p. 73. [20] Ibid., pp. 74-77. [30] Hutchins, B.L. & Harrison, E. p. 79. [31] Will Hutton, Workers' playtime, The Observer, 14 May 2000. Bibliography Burnes, B., Managing Change (2nd Ed.), Pitman, 1996. Class Handouts supplied by Patsy Calder. Grandjean, E., Fitting The Task To The Man (4th Ed.), Tailor and Francis, 1988. Halévy, E., The Triumph of Reform 1839-1841, Ernest Benn Ltd., 1961. Hutchins, B.L. & Harrison, A., A History of Factory Legislation, P.S. King & Son, 1911.

Mathias, P., The First Industrial Nation (2nd Ed), Routledge, 1990. Murphy, D. (ed), Britain 1815-1918, Collins Educational, 1999. Taylor, D., Mastering Economic and Social History, MacMillan, 1988. The Observer, 14 May 2000. The Peel Web: The Industrial Revolution Factories Most people, including children worked a 12 hour day. They had mid-day break for one hour and short breaks for breakfast and tea. Working conditions Many factory owners put profit above the health and safety of their workers. Children and young women were employed in terrible conditions in textile mills and mines. Furnaces were operated without proper safety checks. Workers in factories and mills were deafened by steam hammers and machinery. hours were long and there were no holidays. Children worked in factories How did factory conditions change in the 1840's 1833 Factory Act, Children banned from working in textile factories under the age of nine. 9 - 13 year olds limited to 9 hours a day and 48 hours a week.

13 - 18 year olds limited to 12 hours a day and 69 hours a week. All children under eleven to have two hours education a day. Government Factory Inspectors appointed to enforce the law. 1842 Mines and Collieries Act All women and children under 10 were banned from working underground. No one under 15 years was to work winding gear in mines. 1844 Factory Act: Minimum age for working in factories reduced to 8 years old. 8 to 13 years old to work a maximum of six and a half hours on weekdays and only six hours on Saturday 13 to 18 year olds to work a maximum of 12 hours a day and the same applied to women. Safety guards had to be fitted to all machines. Three hours education a day for children. 1847 Fielder's Factory Act: 10 hour day introduced for under 18's and for women. 1864 Factory Act, this extended the regulations to factories other than textiles and coalmines. 1867 Factory Act, the legislation was extended to all workshops with more than 50 workers. Other links

Question: In which year was the Factory Act passed in Britain, to improve conditions for children working in factories?
Answer: 1833